High technology specimens such as electronic components including printed circuit boards, semiconductor wafers, electronic circuits, photomasks and the like, as well as mechanical assemblies or subassemblies, typically undergo processing and/or inspection operations. A specimen processing station is adapted to perform manufacturing, inspection, sorting, handling or other processing operations on a selected article or specimen.
A conventional semiconductor wafer fabrication process, for example, entails detection and inspection of defects in the patterned surface of a specimen wafer. The in-process inspection for defects is typically accomplished by means of a sophisticated, operator-controlled inspection station. Multiple specimens are typically loaded into a housing or carrier that is portable and may be conveyed to a processing or inspection station. Transport of the specimen carriers and loading and unloading of the specimens are frequently human-assisted operations that expose the specimens to both damage and contamination. Placement of specimens in the carrier and removal of specimens from the carrier are critical operations that frequently result in serious specimen damage. Small inaccuracies in carrier placement or specimen placement within the carrier may result in damage to the specimens, for example, from an associated automated handling system.